


Til Death Do Us Part

by phanic_atthedisco



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst, BoyxBoy, Dan Howell - Freeform, Dan Howell and Phil Lester - Freeform, Fluff, Hes a jerk, M/M, Marriage, No Characters Die, Oneshot, Original Character - Freeform, Phan - Freeform, Phil Lester - Freeform, The embodiment of death, Time Skips, dan is basically the grim reaper, danandphil - Freeform, not important ones anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 07:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15165410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phanic_atthedisco/pseuds/phanic_atthedisco
Summary: Dan is Death: he assures that life cycles are completed. As you may imagine, this lifestyle is lonely. Dan spends most of his time in an invisible form, unable to be seen by the human eye. Well, usually.One day, while visiting the pediatric portion of a hospital, Dan finds himself locking eyes with a newborn. A newborn that could see him in his invisible form. A newborn named Philip Lester.





	Til Death Do Us Part

**Author's Note:**

> I've always been fascinated by the concept of human life. The fact that it starts and ends so suddenly, and that there is so much development in between. Anyway, I tried to capture the progress of a person's life, where things go from new and exciting to uncertain and dangerous. Hopefully by the end, my message is correctly portrayed. You can bring your life back to where it was, in that exciting new stage, if you seek it and find the right person to live it with. The world is at your hands and it is what you make of it, no matter the obstacles. Enjoy, and feel free to leave kudos and/or comments if you'd like! <3

He was Death, an invisible creature that assured the demise and passing of all people on earth. It was a strenuous task, but he took it on full force, determined to keep the natural way of life on track. However, being who he was, his fascination with lives started at birth. When he wasn't being called to a death, he liked to spend his time wandering through the pediatric portion of hospitals, admiring the tiny humans curled up in blankets. It was a bit odd for people to see a man watching babies for hours, so he tended to keep to his invisible form.  
You see, in some cases, Death would take a human form to interact with people around him. He was curious about humans and how they worked, and that was hard for him to decipher without hearing their thoughts spoken aloud. Of the rare times he assumed his human form, he always kept to one look: a twenty-seven year old man from the United Kingdom. He went by the name of Dan Howell, and dressed mostly in black to portray his true self a bit. Among black ripped skinny jeans and black tees, he wore leather jackets and shoes with too many zippers to count. He just let his hair do whatever it wanted, which ended up being a puff of curly brown hair atop his head. The body he chose was an awkward one, as he had very little knowledge of people.  
One particular day, when deaths were sparse, the man wandered among the infants in a UK hospital. While some slept, and others cried, there was one child that caught his attention. The little boy calmly laid there, big blue eyes full of curiosity seeming to lock with his own brown ones. A moment of shock took Dan, and he looked down at his hands to assure that he was invisible. Sure enough, he was, and yet the newborn gazed directly at him. Dan stared in wonder at the tiny child and his little head, just a bit of hair, resembling peach fuzz, poking straight up. Dan longed to reach out and hold the boy, but there were too many people around. A sad feeling in his chest, Dan simply checked his name so that he could keep tabs on the boy.  
"Philip Lester," he muttered, and watched as little Phil yawned and blinked at Dan with sleepy eyes before drifting off. That day, the cold heart of death fluttered to life, ironic and cheesy as it sounds.

The years passed faster than Dan had expected, what with wars picking up, 9/11, and several other tragedies, and Dan missed out on a lot of what he had hoped to see. Phil's first birthday was the death of Cornelia Spark, a cabaret dancer. Most birthdays were like that. While Dan missed some of the better parts of Phil's life, he likes to think he was there for the best moments.   
Sure, Phil's mum was ecstatic to hear Phil say 'light' for what she thought was the first time, but Dan was the one to teach it to him. In a world where Dan was constantly seeing darkness and negativity, he wanted Phil to see light and happiness. When Dan thought back on it, the memory never failed to make him grin. The excitement and delight that radiated from Phil was contagious, and Dan laughed as the toddler hurried off to his mum to show her, too. 

At five years old, Phil was learning to ride his bike. One day, he was determined to learn without his parents, and went out on his own. There was a steep hill near his house and, being young, he didn't quite understand how fast the bike would get going on the decline. The air rushed through his black hair and he wobbled, unable to keep his balance for very long. In the blink of an eye, Dan appeared and saw Phil sprawled out on his stomach on the asphalt, little cries escaping from his dirty face. His bike was on the other side of the road, tipped sideways with one of the wheels still turning. Dan rushed up to the boy and helped him to the side of the road, where he sat him down on the curb and assessed his condition. There was a scrape on one of his knees, and both of his palms were scratched up. Dan kneeled in front of the little boy and smiled at him.   
"Hey buddy," Dan said, his voice soft, "you were so brave to try on your own! What matters is that you got back up again." Little Phil had sniffed and smiled, nodding at what Dan had said. When Dan stood to retrieve the boy's bike, the last thing he expected was to get a hug from him. Phil wrapped his little arms around Dan's waist and held him close, face squished up against his body. Surprise took Dan, but was soon replaced with love as he hugged the boy back.

Years later, when Phil got lost in the market, he was scared. Dan showed up to find Phil hurrying through the aisles, searching for a familiar face. When Dan saw the wave of relief wash over the eight year old's features, he knew that this little boy was, and always would be, an important part of him. Dan had guided Phil through the store until he spotted his mother among the clothing. Before the black-haired boy ran off, Dan crouched next to him.  
"You're such a wonderful boy," Dan whispered in his ear. "Now go find yourself a shirt that will tell the whole world how amazing you are. You are the amazing Phil." The boy's face lit up and he scoured the racks until he found a shirt that Dan may or may not have planted there. It was bright yellow with one word written across the front. 'Amazing.'

When Phil got his first crush at age twelve, his first instinct was to tell Dan about it. Dan sat cross-legged across from Phil on his bed in his brightly colored room. Phil had a sparkle in his striking eyes as he spoke of the cute boy named Tom in his class. He talked about playing tag with him and doing the monkey bars to impress him. He excitedly spoke of his and Tom's plans to go swimming on the weekend. Dan sat and listened attentively and then partied to some music with him afterward. That night, when Dan saw Phil hiding under his covers, writing about Tom in his journal, he couldn't help but notice the little ache in his heart. 

When Phil turned sixteen, he started ignoring Dan. Dan tried not to feel bad about it, but he failed miserably. The raven-haired boy that had given him so much joy was pretending he didn't exist: that Dan was just an imaginary friend from his childhood. At least Phil was happy, Dan would think to himself.  
Dan returned from a harrowing week of work after the Bam earthquake of Iran in 2003. He missed Christmas, and apparently the start of Phil's first relationship. When Dan checked in on Phil, he was on a date with Tom, who had grown up to be a kid who lifted weights and flirted on the beach in his free time. Dan's heart thumped hard against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around his stomach. Never before had he felt so insignificant- so small. For the first time in his eternal life, a tear slipped down his cheek as the blue-eyed boy pressed his lips against Tom's. Tom who was too good to be true.   
Dan knew it was none of his business, but he couldn't resist investigating Tom. The boy spent a bunch of time at the gym, and played football. Phil cheered him on at games with face paint and beamed at his boyfriend from across the field. Dan stood to the side, watching his happy expression with a pit in his stomach.  
A couple weeks around Tom, and Dan was about to give up. The guy seemed perfect, and he made Phil so happy in their secret relationship. That was, until Dan overheard a conversation Tom had on the phone.  
"Yeah," Tom spoke, pacing across his bedroom floor. Dan stood in the corner of the room, arms crossed and interest peaked. "Yeah I got him wrapped around my little finger! How can a nerd like that actually think I like him?" A low laugh erupted from Tom, and Dan had to hold in his urge to yell at the devious boy. "Yeah I got the signs ready, and I'm making sure he'll be there at my game. I'm so ready." Tom finished his conversation and left the room, leaving Dan fuming as he raced to Phil's bedside.   
"Phil," Dan whispered to the sleeping boy. Phil groaned and rolled over, one eye peeking open. He stared at Dan and sighed, pulling his covers over his head.  
"Not real," he murmured. "Just my imagination. He's not real."   
"No Phil, please, I'm real!" Dan took ahold of the boy's shoulder and shook him a bit, desperate. "Please, Phil, listen to me! Tom is going to do something to you at his next game. I heard him on the phone about it."  
"It's just a dream," Phil spoke louder, trying to drown out Dan's urgent voice. "It's a dream!"  
"Phil, please," Dan begged, pulling at the blankets. Phil held tight and shook his head hard against his pillow. A couple tears slipped down Dan's cheeks and he backed up, sliding down the wall into a sitting position. "Okay," Dan whispered, unsure if Phil could even hear him. "I warned you. Just know that I'm here for you."

"Before we start our championship game, I'd like to call down someone very special!" Dan stood on the other side of the field, watching Phil closely. A blush rose to the young boy's cheeks and he was called down from the stands. Phil stood next to Tom, adoration in Phil's eyes as Tom spoke into the microphone. Dan fidgeted with the zipper of his jacket, feeling all sorts of emotions that he had never experienced before. He couldn't even put names to them.  
"So, Phil," Tom said, addressing the nervous boy next to him, "I'd like to announce something." The rest of the football team ran onto the field in a line, each clad in their gear and holding a poster. They lined up in front of Phil and Tom and held the posters up, showing the audience, who immediately fell into a deafening silence. Phil furrowed his eyebrows, wringing his hands together. He worriedly glanced at Tom and then scanned the audience, taking in the shocked faces.   
"What-" Phil started, pushing through the line of boys holding the signs so that he could see what they read. As soon as he read it, his eyes widened and his body went rigid. His pink lips pressed into a tight line and his hands curled into fists. A mocking laugh rang through the speakers, its origin being Tom. The line of football boys joined in, and the audience followed. Phil turned in circles, seeming to get smaller by the second.  
"What the hell," Dan murmured, moving quickly to read the signs.   
'Philip Lester is gay.' Dan stood stock still, a bubbling sensation filling his stomach as he looked out at the entire student body pointing and mocking the most important person in the world. Phil's eyes spilled over with tears, and the boy took off in a sprint out of the fields and onto the street. Dan followed closely behind, concern filling his entire being.   
Sobs racked the black-haired boy as he climbed into his car and started driving home, haphazardly swerving through his vision blinded by tears. Dan joined him in the car and grabbed the wheel from where he was in the passenger seat, correcting the direction of the car as Phil retracted his hands and held his face, agony radiating from him. Once Dan had driven him safely home, he helped Phil out of the car and into his room, not once getting any sort of reaction from the boy. Dan sat on the edge of Phil's bed, rubbing his back as he cried until he couldn't anymore, and fell into a fitful sleep.   
That night, Dan ignored his job and people kept living in the most preposterous ways. All of the news channels were talking about botched surgeries that shouldn't have ended in life, miracle babies that had very little chance of survival, and mysterious cases of disasters that should've ended in fatalities, but only resulted in injuries. Dan didn't care. He didn't care if the proper life cycle was interrupted by his disregard. All Dan cared about was Philip Lester, the boy who was humiliated by being himself.   
While Phil slept, his computer on his desk lit up with notifications. Curiosity sparked in his chest, and Dan slowly eased himself off Phil's bed and over to the device. Dan took the mouse in his hand and moved it to light up the screen. There were a bunch of messages from someone by the username tom_is_ace47.  
Knowing full well he shouldn't, Dan opened the messages, reading them under his breath.  
'Hah i got u good didnt i'  
'Ur gross why did u ever think i liked u'  
'If you tell anyone i kissed u ur dead meet'  
'We were never in love'  
'See u never loser'  
A low growl surfaced at the back of Dan's throat, and his hands gripped at his hair, anger broiling in his chest. Tom had ruined Phil. He had suffocated the flame of greatness that Phil had been protecting, and Dan was furious. Dan was just reaching for the keyboard to rip into Tom when a sleepy voice sounded from behind him.  
"Dan?" Phil said. Dan felt his anger fizzle away and become replaced with a soft comfort. The tall man turned and looked to where Phil was sitting up in his bed, rubbing his eyes.  
"Hey," Dan breathed, shuffling over to Phil. The teenage boy shifted over on his mattress to make room for Dan. Dan lowered himself into a position mirroring Phil's.   
"You were right." Phil's voice came out raspy and broken. Dan turned his glance to the boy, who sat pulling at the sleeves of his jumper that he still wore from the game. "You were right," Phil repeated, making eye contact with the grown man next to him, "but I don't even know if you're real."  
"I-" Dan started, ready to tell Phil that he was real and that he was there for him, but Phil cut him off.  
"Please, Dan," Phil said quietly, blinking tiredly. "I need you to leave. People think I'm crazy. I think I'm crazy! No one else can see you, and you know things you shouldn't, and you show up in impossible ways. I-" Phil stopped, his voice cracking. He turned away and ran his fingers through his messy black hair. "I need you to leave me alone."  
Dan's heart fell silent, and his stomach fought its way up into his throat. His chest ached and ached for the beautiful boy that could see him. The amazing Phil.  
"Okay," Dan breathed. Then he left. He didn't walk, he didn't stand. He simply disappeared, leaving to pick back up on his job. He left the boy in a split second and didn't look back. After all, Dan just wanted to make Phil happy. 

Years passed and Dan pulled himself through the days. Many more deaths occurred, but none could distract him from the only person he really wanted to see. The only boy who could see him.   
Dan shook his head, unable to allow himself to think about Phil much longer without nausea rising in him. He desperately missed Phil: the boy who made his heart beat.  
But Phil didn't want him, so Dan pretended that Phil didn't exist. That was hard, however, because it seemed that Dan was seeing Phil everywhere. Nearly anytime he would deliver a soul, he would catch glimpses of Phil, and sometimes he would make eye contact with him. Dan would always dissipate immediately, Phil's words still ringing in his ears. I need you to leave me alone. The words still hurt, and the pain increased day by day. Week by week. Month by month. Year by year.  
Before Dan knew it, it was the year 2018. It had been thirty-one years since he had first seen the blue-eyed boy at the hospital. It had been fifteen years since Dan had talked to the boy. The boy who could see him, and the boy who didn't want him. That's why Dan was extremely surprised when someone tapped him on the shoulder moments after he had taken a life. His shoulder that should have been invisible. Dan turned, his confused expression melting into tears as his heart fluttered back to life.   
"You," Dan choked out while he looked into the eyes of the man who could see him. The man who had tracked him down.   
"I missed you," Phil spoke gently, aware of his surroundings and that he was the only one who could see the man with the curly brown hair. "Follow me."  
The two walked side by side to Phil's flat, but to anyone else, it was just Phil. Just Phil with his tight button up shirts, black skinny jeans, and black-framed glasses.   
Once Dan and Phil were in the building, Phil unlocked his door and allowed Dan in first before following. Dan stood awkwardly with his hands in his pockets, not sure what to do with himself.  
"So, you're Death," Phil stated, sitting himself down on the sofa and waving Dan over to do the same. Once the brown-eyed man was seated, Phil continued. "You're Death and no one can see you, but for some reason, I can. You watched over me and taught me the most important things in life, and I pushed you away. I regret that day." Phil rubbed the back of his neck and shifted so that he was sitting cross-legged facing Dan. "You warned me about Tom, and I didn't listen. He was a prick. He outed me, so I outed him. You should've seen how fast his popularity dropped." Phil's lips quirked up on the edges, his downcast eyes shaded with recollection. "I got bullied, but I ignored it. I ignored it because someone once told me that I was amazing. Once I graduated, I set out to find you. Do you know how hard you are to track down?"   
Both boys laughed at this, and Dan bit his lip to fight back tears. Phil gazed into Dan's eyes for a few moments before speaking again.  
"I wanted to find you because I realized that I fell in love with you. In all my hardships, you were the one there for me, and I want to be the one there for you." Before Dan could respond, Phil cupped his cheek in his hand and pulled him into a soft kiss. Dan's eyes flutter closed and he melted into the touch. They pulled away just a bit, their foreheads still pressed together, breaths tickling the other's lips.  
"I love you," Dan whispered. Phil smiled and calmly closed his eyes.  
"I love you too."

"This is it," Dan said, adjusting his pink bow tie. "Do I look okay?" The seamstress next to him nodded her approval of his white shirt and black suit. The awkward man reached up and pushed at his hair, making sure it was perfect. He inhaled deep and let it out along with a good amount of stress.  
The walk down the isle was the longest walk Dan had ever experienced. It seemed to drag on for years, and Phil glanced back at Dan, his suit and bow tie the opposite of his love's. Dan couldn't help but grin at the ridiculous pink suit on the pale black-haired man.   
Side by side, the two men exchanged their vows, and the long-awaited sentence was spoken.  
"You may now kiss the groom."  
All sorts of sensations filled Dan, some he had never felt before. His senses heightened greatly. Sounds were clearer, textures were more prominent, smells were stronger, and colors were brighter. That was the one Dan loved the most. Dan loved to stare into the bright blue eyes of his husband, which were captivating under any circumstance. In the moment that Dan kissed his husband, he felt everything in him come alive, and he knew he wasn't Death anymore, he was Daniel Lester-Howell. Someone else would take his place, but he didn't care who. All he cared about was his husband. His amazing Phil.


End file.
